Apparatus for Assisted Buckle Release

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for assisted buckle release having an engagement portion connected to a lever arm at a midportion and a protuberance projected from a basal side of the lever arm. The midportion accommodates rotation of the lever arm within a coronal plane relative thereto as well as manual compression toward the engagement portion to move the protuberance a minimum distance sufficient to depress a release button of a buckle of a vehicular restraint with which the apparatus is engaged and actuate release of the restraints from the button.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This continuing application claims the benefit of continuation-in-partapplication Ser. No. 16/675,305, filed on Nov. 6, 2019 which claims thebenefit of continuing application Ser. No. 16/278,021, filed on Feb. 15,2019, which in turn claims the benefit of nonprovisional applicationSer. No. 15/699,198, filed on Sep. 8, 2017.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

Not Applicable

SPECIFICATION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to the field of occupantrestraint systems and more particularly, but not by way of limitation toan apparatus and method that assists with the depression of actuatorbuttons on restraint harnesses to facilitate release of the buckle.

Background of the Invention

Occupant restraint systems are well known. They typically have a firstpiece of belting having a buckle at one end and an opposite end isanchored in place. The anchoring may be either by direct fastening orvia a device such as a retractor. A tongue is attached to a free end ofa second piece of belting whose opposite end is also anchored. When therestraint system is in use to restrain a seated occupant, the two piecesof belting are connected by inserting the tongue of the second piece ofbelting into the buckle of the first piece of belting and adjusting therestraint around the occupant.

The buckle comprises a casing which contains a spring-loaded latchingmechanism for releaseably latching the buckle to the tongue. A typicalbuckle casing comprises an aperture which exposes an actuating buttonfor depression by a person's thumb or fingertip to cause the latchingmechanism to release the buckle from the latched condition. In today'stypical buckle, the area of the actuating button, which is exposed bythe aperture, approximates that of the thumb or fingertip. The actuatingbutton surface against which the thumb or fingertip presses is generallyflush with the surface of the casing containing the aperture.Oftentimes, a smaller version of this same type of buckle and actuatingbutton assembly is used in child restraint seats designed to secure anoccupant, such as a baby or child, in place. The actuating buttonassembly installed in child restraint seats is regulated by the FederalMotor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which recommends a minimumrequired release force to depress the actuating button of 40 N (Newton)or 9.0 lbf (pound-force).

For any of a number of various reasons, a person may be impaired fromdepressing the actuating button with this amount of force and, thus,unable to unlatch a child restraint seat buckle of this type. Forinstance, caregivers may have arthritis in their hands, which impactsthe strength with which they can apply pressure in their thumbs tosufficiently depress the actuator button with the required force torelease the buckle and remove the child from the car seat. With theincrease in the number of grandparent caregivers, the lack of requiredthumb or finger strength presents a significant problem for theconvenience of mobility in an automotive vehicle while caring for ayoung child. Further, the situation poses risks to child safety if thecaregiver does not properly buckle the child to thereby make it easierfor the caregiver to release the buckle when necessary. In addition toarthritis, other circumstances may arise where caregivers lacksufficient hand strength, including carpel tunnel syndrome, tendonitisand chronic or temporary conditions or injuries.

The existing prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 8,539,862, which is incorporatedherein by reference, seeks to address many of the foregoingdifficulties. However, for those with arthritis in their hands andfingers, gripping edges of the housing element is difficult or painful,resulting in an inadequate ability to exert the required pressure torelease the buckle. Additionally, the prior art lacks a backing tosupport the intended use, resulting in the need to position a free handwithout guidance, or to push hard against the occupant of the car seatand apply uncomfortable preNo.ssure. The prior art offers no method forreducing or otherwise alleviating the amount of force required by theuser to release the buckle.

Other attempts at addressing the above described difficulties includethe use of pliers to depress the button to release the buckle from thelatched condition. For example, a pair of standard pliers may bemodified to have a protrusion on an end thereof to allow the protrusionto press the release button when the pliers are closed. However, thissolution does not address the difficulty experienced by users witharthritis and other hand ailments. Oftentimes, users with arthritis havea difficult time using scissors or pliers due to the manual dexterityrequired. Therefore, a solution is needed that allows the button to bedepressed in a method that requires minimal thumb or finger strength.

In another prior art attempt to address the above describeddifficulties, a lever arm is attached to the seat belt below the buckle.The lever arm has a protrusion thereon so that when force is applied toan opposite end of the lever, the protrusion depresses the button. Whilethis solution allows pressure to be applied using the palm of the hand,rather than relying on individual finger strength, it requires a user toapply pressure straight into the buckle. This is often difficult toaccomplish because the parent or guardian is normally reaching in fromthe side of the car seat when trying to unbuckle the occupant. Oneadditional drawback of this type of lever arm is that it requires thedevice to be affixed to the strap of the car seat as a source ofleverage, which poses a safety risks if a child learns to use the deviceto release the latch, but lacks the maturity to know when it is safe todo so. By remaining affixed to the car seat, the device has thepotential to enable a child to release the latch while the car is inmotion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The buckle release assistive device of the present invention seeks toovercome the prior art by addressing these considerations with a uniquedesign that was developed is by an occupational therapist specializingin hand therapy with expertise in designing rehabilitative solutions foractivities required in daily life. Unique features of the design, whichdistinguish it from the prior art, may include, among other features,the use of a lever arm to reduce pressure required to push the device,no longer requiring dependency on the fingers for gripping the buckle,and the ability to use the device from a side of the occupant forexpedient release of the buckle and emergent removal of the occupantfrom under the restraints.

The present apparatus and method for assisted buckle release has beendevised to provide facility in depressing the actuator button of a carseat restraint harness to expediently effect release of the buckle fromits locking engagement of the car seat restraint harness in a lesspainful and more convenient manner than by pressing the actuator buttondirectly. The present method is applicable to a variety of automotivevehicle occupant restraint systems including, but not limited to, childcar seat restraint systems.

It is another objective of the present method to alleviate hand orfinger pain caused by repetitive motion in depressing the pre-existingactuator button of vehicle occupant restraint systems including, but notlimited to, child car seat restraint systems.

Yet another objective of the present method is to provide a useful andsafe means for individuals with chronic hand pain or limited handfunction to use a standard vehicle occupant restraint system including,but not limited to, child car seat restraint systems.

The present apparatus and method for assisted buckle release, therefore,employs use of a buckle release assistive device which is specificallyadapted to facilitate depression of the buckle release button devised torelease the restraining belts interconnected therewith. As outlinedabove, many car restraints operable upon car seats, for example, employa buckle connection that is releasable via depression of an out-facingbutton disposed thereupon.

The present apparatus increases the facility of disconnecting therestraints by action of a lever arm disposed projected arcuately from anengagement portion adapted to engage against the buckle and/or restraintwebbing of a vehicle occupant restraint system. The lever arm increasestorque and pressure applicable to the restraint button placed in contactwith a protuberance projected from a basal surface of the lever arm.Purchase is provided against which to effectuate leverage by engagementof the engagement portion in contact with the buckle and/or restraintswhereby the protuberance is leverageable to depress the button when thelever arm is pushed toward the buckle. Depressing the release button,and releasing the restraints from the buckle, is therefore renderedeasier for the user, due to the increased torque and pressure appliedthrough the protuberance to effectuate depression of the button andremoval of the restrains may be effected more quickly and with lessdiscomfort.

Thus has been broadly outlined the more important features of thepresent apparatus and method for assisted buckle release so that thedetailed description thereof that follows may be better understood andin order that the present contribution to the art may be betterappreciated.

Other objectives and advantages of the present apparatus and method forassisted buckle release will become apparent to those skilled in the artas a more detailed explanation of the invention is presented below. Thedrawings disclose a buckle release assistive device, according to onepossible embodiment, devised for employing the present method ofassisted buckle release. The above summary of the invention is notintended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the presentinvention. Particular embodiments may include one, some, or none of thelisted advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the presentinvention may be obtained by reference to the following DetailedDescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a buckle release assistive deviceaccording to an example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a basal elevation view of an example embodiment of the bucklerelease assistive device;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an example embodiment of the bucklerelease to assistive device;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of an example embodiment of the bucklerelease assistive device;

FIG. 5 is an in-use elevation view of an example embodiment of thebuckle release assistive device with an engagement portion disposedagainst the rear side of a buckle housing to leverage thereagainst inactioning a lever arm to effectuate depression of a release button;

FIG. 6 is a dorsal elevation view of an example embodiment of the bucklerelease assistive device;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of an example embodiment of the bucklerelease assistive device; and

FIG. 8 is a an in-use elevation view of an example embodiment of thebuckle release assistive device with the engagement portion engagedagainst the crotch harness webbing of the restraint harness illustratingrotation of the lever arm into position overtop the release button.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present apparatus for assistive buckle release for facilitating therelease of vehicular restraints interconnected with a buckle is shownFIGS. 1 through 8 in example embodiment. The figures presented hereinare for eh purposes of example only and assist in enabling the claims.However, no limitations of the apparatus are intended by any particularstructure illustrated in the figures, the general metes and bounds ofthe inventive disclosure set forth merely to breathe life into theclaims and assist a person of skill in the art in applying the inventionwithin such variations of scope as the claims allow.

Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus 10 includes an engagement portion 20and a generally planar or spatulate lever arm 30 connected at amidportion 22. The engagement portion 20 is devised for contactengagement upon a rear side of a restraint buckle housing 70, or incontact with a restraint directly (for example the crotch harnesswebbing 73), against which a user may leverage torque by manuallycompressing the lever arm 30 connected therewith. This increased torqueapplies pressure to the buckle release button 72 and facilitates openingof the buckle.

The midportion 22 is connected endwise and oriented transverselyrelative to the engagement portion 20. The lever arm 30 is connectedendwise to the midportion 22 at a first end 32 and then spans a bodyportion 34 away from the engagement portion 20. In at least one exampleembodiment contemplated herein, the body portion 34 is angularlyprojected from the midportion 22, at an acute angle relative to theengagement portion 20. In at least one example embodiment contemplatedherein, the body portion 34 is spanned along an arced expanseterminating at a second end 36 disposed at a farthermost extremity ofthe lever arm 30.

A protuberance 40 is projected from a basal side 24 of the lever arm 30,in a position more proximal the first end 32 of the lever arm 30 andpositioned to overlie the release button 72 of a restraint buckle 70when the engagement portion 20 is positioned in contact with saidrestraint buckle 70. A user may therefore depress the lever arm 30 andforce the protuberance 40 to contact and depress the release button 72with relative ease. Torque applied by the lever arm 30 distance relativeto the protuberance 40 assists in depressing the button 72 andeffectuating release of the restraints.

FIG. 2 illustrates an elevation view of a basal side 24 of the apparatus10. The engagement portion 20 is fittable against the rear side of arestraint buckle 70 such that the buckle 70 is then accommodated onthree sides by the apparatus 10 (as shown in FIG. 5). The engagementportion 20 is also fittable against the restraint directly, for example,against the crotch harness webbing 73, in like manner to leverage torque(as shown in FIG. 8). The midportion 22 between the engagement portion20 and the lever arm 30 accommodates depression of the lever arm 30 toeffectuate contact of the protuberance 40 against the release button 72,to compress the button 72 and effectuate release of the button 72. Itshould be noted that positioning the engagement portion 20 against therear side of a buckle 72 of a restraint (or elsewhere upon therestraint) typically orients the protuberance 40 in the correct positionovertop the release button 72.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate complementary side elevation views of theapparatus 10. In the example embodiment depicted, the acute anglebetween the lever arm 30 and the engagement portion 20 can be seen.Engagement portion 20 and lever arm 30 therefore create an interstitialspace 42 for receipt of, and engagement around, the buckle 70 to whichthe apparatus 10 is fit. Protuberance 40 is shown on the basal side 24of the lever arm 30, at a position more proximal to the engagementportion 20, to increase torque as applied when the second end 36 of thelever arm 30 is manually engaged by pushing against the dorsal side 26,for example, to force the lever arm 30 toward the buckle 70 around whichthe apparatus 10 is engaged. It should be noted, however, that theposition of the protuberance 40 upon the basal side 24 of the lever arm30 is not intended to be limiting; the protuberance 40 may berepresented anywhere along the span of the lever arm 30 that isconsidered as useful in facilitating the utility for which the apparatus10 is devised.

Protuberance 40 may include an actuator surface 44 comprising materialor elements devised to increase friction in contact therewith.Similarly, the engagement portion 20 may also include material orelements upon actuator surface 44 to increase traction with the buckle70 or restraints with which it is contacted.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment in use, fit to a vehicularrestraint buckle 70, wherein the buckle 70 is positioned into theinterstitial space 42 and the engagement portion 20 is disposed on therearward side of the buckle 70 such that the protuberance 40 ispositioned over top the release button 72 and torque applied via actionof the lever arm 30 facilitates depression of the release button 72 anddisengagement of the restraints from the buckle housing 70.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top elevation view of the apparatus 10, showing thedorsal side 26 of the lever arm 30. As illustrated in this exampleembodiment depicted, the lever arm 30 may widen toward the second end 36to enable a greater surface area for contact with the hand of a user,whereby a user may depress the lever arm 30 by action of the palmeraspect of the hand, the thenar, or otherwise increase contact with thelever arm 30 to apply increased pressure to the protuberance 40 whenactioning against the release button 72. An overmold or other polymeric,elastomeric, or other material may enclose at least the second end 36 ofthe lever arm 30 (as well as potentially elsewhere on the apparatus 10)to enable tractive and comfortable contact with the hands of a user aswell as, in some example embodiments contemplated herein, provideergonomic structures such as ridges, or depressions or other featuresaccommodative of the digits, pollexes, thenars, or other parts of thehuman hand as may beneficially be employed to the general purpose theapparatus 10 meets.

FIG. 7 illustrates a rear elevation view of the apparatus 10. Midportion22 accommodates compression of the lever arm 30 towards the engagementportion 20, and, in some applications, midportion accommodates rotationof the lever arm within a is coronal plane relative thereto (as shown inFIG. 8, for example), from a first, uncompressed position, to a second,compressed position, wherein the protuberance 40 on the basal side 24 ofthe lever arm 30 is caused to travel a minimum sufficient distance toactuate the release button 72 of the buckle 70 with which the apparatus10 is employed.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of the apparatus 10 in-use withthe engagement portion 20 engaged in an alternative fashion, against therestraint (here, the crotch harness webbing 73) directly, rather thanagainst the buckle housing 70 proper. The midportion 22 accommodatessuch situation of the apparatus 10 whereby the buckle housing 70 is fitinto the interstitial space 42 while the engagement portion 20 is heldrearwards of the crotch harness webbing 73, to provide leveragethereagainst. The lever arm 30 is subsequently movable to the compressedposition with the protuberance 40 positioned overtop the release button72 of the buckle housing 70 so that the protuberance 40 contacts anddepresses the release button 72 to release the restraints as previouslydescribed.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for assistive buckle release forfacilitating the release of vehicular restraints interconnected with abuckle, said apparatus comprising: an engagement portion; a midportionoriented transversely to the engagement portion and connected endwisethereto; a generally planar lever arm projected from one end of themidportion, said lever arm comprising: a basal side; a dorsal side; afirst end disposed connected to the midportion; a second end disposedprojected at an extremity away from the midportion; a body sectiondisposed from the first end to the second end; and a protuberanceprojected from the basal side of the lever arm in a position moreproximal the first end of the lever arm; wherein the assistive devicefacilitates release of the restraints interconnected with the buckle byincreasing torque and/or pressure at the protuberance when applied incontact with a release button.
 2. The apparatus for assisted bucklerelease of claim 1 wherein the protuberance comprises an actuatorsurface configured to seat against the release button of the existingbuckle.
 3. The apparatus for assisted buckle release of claim 1 whereinends of the lever arm and engagement portion are rounded to preventharmful contact.
 4. The apparatus for assisted buckle release of claim 1wherein the body section is disposed along an arc.
 5. The apparatus forassisted buckle release of claim 2 wherein the actuator surface isconfigured to increase frictional engagement against the release buttonof the buckle.
 6. The apparatus for assisted buckle release of claim 2wherein at least a portion of the lever arm comprises a yielding,polymeric overmold.